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How to pass your bike’s MoT first time

What to check before a MoT

Lights/reflectors/horn
These three items are one of the biggest causes for MoT failures. Headlights/tail lights must be free of chips or cracks; indicator and rear light lenses mustn’t be faded; light assemblies must be securely mounted. Headlights must emit only a white or yellow light and must work on main and dipped beam: the main beam must shine directly ahead and the dip slightly lower and to the left.
Indicators need to flash at a ‘steady rate’ and bikes must have a red deflector fitted to the rear, either bolted on separately or as part of the tail-light lens.
The horn must emit a continuous (single tone) sound and be of a reasonable volume.

Steering/suspension
Steering head bearings should be adjusted correctly: handlebars should move from lock to lock without any interference, drag or notchiness and cables shouldn’t be trapped or pulled while doing this. To check for play, hold the front brake on and push the bars forwards to feel for any slack. Grips should be secure.
Both front and rear suspension mustn’t show signs of leakage (e.g. oil visible on fork tube or leaking down the slider); forks and shock must have adequate damping; and no play in the swingarm/suspension linkage bearings. Hold the wheel and move  from side to side to try and feel for any free play. Spin the wheel and listen for roughness in the bearings.

Brakes
Check front brake lever and rear brake pedal are mounted securely, cables aren’t frayed and all bolts, locking nuts and split-pins are present and correctly tightened.
Make sure there isn’t excessive lever travel (either through maladjustment or excessive wear). Check brake lines for leaks, splits or cracking; there shouldn’t be any leaks around hydraulic reservoirs either and fluid levels mustn’t be too low. Brake pads should have more than 1.5mm tread left on them and discs should be free from cracks, pitting and scoring.
If when braking you feel a pulsing through the front brake lever, then your discs could be warped. Check wheels are free to rotate without brake drag.

Tyres
They must be the right size for your bike, suitable for legal road use and the directional arrow is pointing in the direction of forward wheel rotation. There should be no cuts, tears, bulges or cracks in the sidewall or tread. Both tyres need a tread depth of at least 1mm across three-quarters of the breadth and tyres shouldn’t have a re-cut tread. Tyres should be correctly seated in the wheel rim, and valve stems not damaged or misaligned (which could cause sudden deflation).

Wheel alignment
Check correct alignment by using a piece of cord. Pull it around the back of the rear tyre and then forwards to one side of the front tyre. When the cord touches both the rear tyre’s edges, check the gap between the cord and front tyre. Repeat on the other side: the gap should be the same. If you’ve adjusted the chain you may have put your rear wheel out of alignment, so check if you
get a discrepancy (see page 6 for an excellent YouTube demo video).
Cast wheels need to be crack-free; check spoked wheels broken, corroded, loose or bent spokes.

Exhaust system
The exhaust mustn’t be holed and must be free from leaks from both joints and box(es). Exhaust mountings must be secure and not fouling any part of the rear suspension.
If fitted with an aftermarket silencer, then ‘Not for road use’ or similar wording mustn’t be visible. Noise will be assessed at the discretion of the tester, so be sensible and don’t go with an obscenely
loud pipe.

Other checks
Check for any corrosion on the frame or any load-bearing components.
Ensure fairing, screens and mudguards are securely fitted with no missing fasteners.
Adjust your chain: excessively slack, poorly maintained chains will fail, as will a loose chain guard that is fouling. On shaft drives, the drive unit must be free from oil leaks.
Both sprockets shouldn’t be excessively worn (check for rounded, worn teeth).

Just what is a daylight MoT?

Contrary to popular belief, a ‘daylight’ MoT doesn’t exist. However, it is perfectly acceptable for a bike to have no lights fitted and still pass a normal MoT test.
This is because of an exemption in Regulation 4(3)(a) of the Road Vehicle (Lighting) Regulations 1989, as amended: ‘Nothing in these regulations shall require any lamp or reflector to be fitted between sunrise and sunset to a vehicle not fitted with any front or rear position lamp.’

Regulation 4 goes on to clarify that: ‘for the purposes of these regulations a lamp shall not be treated as being a lamp if it is:
a) so painted over or masked that it is not capable of being immediately used or readily put to use, or, b) an electric lamp which is not provided with any system of wiring by means of which that lamp is, or can readily be, connected with a source of electricity.’
All this means is that a bike that goes in for a MoT test that has no lights in accordance to the regulations above will be tested in the normal way apart from the lighting checks.
If it passes, a normal MoT certificate (VT20) will be issued, but
a VT32 will also be issued advising that no lights were fitted at the time
of testing.